Gun Powder and Testosterone

We've heard the cliché that gasoline and alcohol don't mix. The same should be said of gun powder and testosterone.

Both mixtures have deadly implications and deserve scrutiny wherever and whenever these elements are combined.

Though W.C. Fields once joked, "They say gasoline and alcohol don't mix... actually, they do, they just don't taste good," the combination of gun powder and testosterone is no joking matter. Neither is the current combination of powerful weaponry and over stimulated and paranoid males.

So is the answer to take away all the guns?

No one is suggesting that. But those in leadership in the National Rifle Association -- those with high levels of testosterone but feeling vulnerable and impotent -- are spreading fear to stir the fringe element of their organization into a crazy frenzy.

And it's worked! Gun enthusiasts stormed the gun shops and Walmarts to buy more weaponry fearing the government is coming to take away their guns.

Gun owners believe their ownership is a sign of American exceptionalism -- freedom to own all the guns they desire. But, we're not exceptional, nor are they. We, in this gun ridden society, shoot and kill over 10,000 of our citizens each year. Over 30,000 die as a result of guns each year. The exceptional American is the one who can navigate our society without finding necessity in owning a weapon.

Harper Lee once wrote, 'It was times like these when I thought my father, who hated guns and had never been to any wars, was the bravest man who ever lived.'

Yet we are afraid to pass sensible gun restrictions.

Our citizens are like sheep, weak and paranoid creatures, ignorant to the point of herding. And the stampede to purchase guns and ammo is a perfect example of how malleable and easily frightened they are.

Such has been the case over and over. How about the dirty bomb scare when paranoid Americans ran to buy all the plastic, duct tape, and food they could hoard? Or Y2K when fearful citizens stocked up on supplies and bought every generator in the country? Or the ease with which we sacrificed our freedom at airports after 9/11?

Do we deserve freedom?

Americans' paranoia is not only palpable, it's laughable. But it's no laughing matter to watch gun powder and testosterone coalesce -- a synthesis of fear and paranoia.

Who could possibly be comforted with Alex Jones, the deranged guest who appeared on Piers Morgan, as a neighbor? Or Wayne LaPierre, Larry Ward, or Lars Larson for that matter? Would you even want them in your community? They are time bombs waiting to explode driven by imaginary conspiracies unseen by 300 million other Americans.

Should districts and states be equally concerned about the idiocy of their elected officials who threaten impeachment like Representative Steve Stockman of Texas, or Senator Rand Paul, the myopic Senator who threatens nullification of any gun laws, even after the tragedy at Sandy Hook Elementary School?

Politicians who oppose common sense gun legislation, after the massacres we've experienced, lack judgment and resolve. They're merely pimps for the NRA and the gun lobby.

Polling clearly shows that public opinion has shifted. Now, "the people" are demanding a swift and comprehensive solution to the recent carnage and devastation. These include a ban on assault weapons, high capacity clips, and universal background checks.

Assault weapons and clips with more than 10 rounds have only one place in a civilized society -- the military.

A guest on one of the talk shows commented, "If it takes 13 shots to bring down a deer maybe you shouldn't be a hunter."

We can't allow deranged or psychotic zealots control of the debate over gun legislation. We can't allow people who chose gun powder as their drug of choice to obscure a common sense solution to this accelerating problem.

Somehow irresponsible individuals have risen to positions of leadership; people who lack the integrity that leadership demands. This is true of the National Rifle Association, Gun Owners of America, state legislatures, and Congress.

I don't need an Alex Jones, who prefers the smell of gun powder over the taste of orange juice in the morning, to protect me. But I do need someone to protect me from guys like Alex Jones.

It's time reasonable people took over the debate!

Tell Congress that the insanity of the NRA is no longer tolerable. Explain that congressional members will now be held accountable for any bloody carnage caused by their inaction. Call them today -- (202) 224-3121!

Tell them it's time to regulate guns since it's difficult to regulate testosterone.

We know that gasoline and alcohol don't mix.

It's time we woke up to the realization that neither do gunpowder and testosterone.